Cr Robyn Gulline: Region loses a leader

Published on 04 August 2022

It was with sadness that I learned of the passing of Cr Tony Driscoll, Mayor of Northern Grampians Shire last Sunday.

I only had the pleasure of meeting Tony a few times but his wisdom and insightful contributions to conversations will be greatly missed. Vale Tony.

It was an honour to attend the Keep Australia Beautiful Australian Sustainable Communities Tidy Towns Award ceremony at Hastings last weekend. The overall winner was King Island.

Congratulations to Australia’s 2022 Young Legend, Horsham’s Bart Turgoose. For someone so young, Bart’s business acumen and community spirit is inspirational.

Horsham Ag Society was recognised with a highly commended for the diverse range of programs that it offers to support the community. Well done to the committee and volunteers.

The Wimmera Kart Racing club celebrated the official opening of their newly extended track last weekend. Thank you to the Victorian Government for the motor sports grant that enabled these works. Congratulations to the committee, Kart Racing Vic and the local businesses for delivering this fantastic project on time and on budget. The standard of competition was testament to the improved quality and condition of the track.

Regional Victoria will be hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games. The main competitions and athlete villages will be in Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong and Latrobe. Council is working with the Victorian Government to identify opportunities for supplementary activities and events to be held in our region.

Winter sporting codes are nearing the end of the regular fixtures and the race is on to make finals. It is wonderful to see so many in our community back out enjoying sport whether as participants, volunteers or spectators.

The Nature Water Play Park is on track for completion by mid-December. Freely available all year round to residents and visitors, it will be a very popular spot for children of all abilities to explore creative play in a natural environment.

Community engagement is very important to Council. There are always items out for community feedback and I encourage everyone to take the time to provide considered responses on the various reports and papers.

Our Mill St Silo art continues to attract visitors and great social media engagement.

As the weather warms up and with the school holidays in a few weeks, we look forward to welcoming visitors to our beautiful municipality to explore the natural beauty of our region.